Turkeys and northern bobwhites have relatively short lifespans, so annual reproduction is extremely important to the total population and the quality of hunting. Data collected during the last three decades has shown turkey hunting success is closely linked to annual poult production and survival. Similar studies in bobwhite ecology show a similar correlation between reproduction and future hunting success.

Moscicki explains that exact numbers of birds in the state would be nearly impossible to determine, but the surveys give biologists valuable information on trends in populations, and the AGFC can use this information to determine effectiveness of habitat management efforts as well as focus future efforts where populations see steady declines.

“Turkey reproduction, as well as quail reproduction are heavily influenced by weather and some factors outside of the AGFC’s control, but we can definitely hedge our bets even in bad years by supplying the birds with the right habitat,” Moscicki said. “When the right habitat is available and those other factors come together, populations can see recovery relatively quickly.”

Clint Johnson, AGFC Quail Program coordinator, said another benefit of public participation in the annual turkey and quail survey is to identify new areas where populations may be rebounding that the AGFC can use to bolster populations on a landscape level.

“Relocating birds to new areas has shown marginal success, especially when areas are still being hunted,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen much more success by creating better habitat near known populations of quail and turkeys and allowing those populations to expand. If we’re able to locate previously unknown clusters of birds, we can focus our efforts to connect them with other nearby populations through habitat management.”

Visit www.agfc.com/turkey and www.agfc.com/quail for more information on these two ground-nesting game birds in The Natural State.

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Moscicki says he’s heard many reports to give him some hope for next year as well.

“We’re still cleaning up some of the data from last year’s brood surveys, but we received a lot of reports of Jakes (immature gobblers) and Jennies (immature hens) on the ground this year, so that’s promising for next season.”

Moscicki says youth hunters did harvest a few more juvenile birds this year than last, with 470 Jakes harvested throughout the season, compared to 250 last year.

“That is a significant increase percentage-wise, but the total number of Jakes harvested is still very low compared to the overall harvest, so that’s a bright spot,” Moscicki said.

The AGFC, partners like the U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy, and private landowners have put a lot of great habitat on the ground during the last decade through the use of prescribed fire, but Moscicki says expectations for increased populations should be tempered with a touch of caution.

“Turkey populations are extremely dependent on weather and other factors outside of land manager’s control,” Moscicki said. “Hatches can fluctuate from year to year, and we still have a lot of work to do in managing habitat and increasing the right mix of habitat types on the landscape. So far the weather seems to be pretty good throughout the state for some good hatch conditions, but we really won’t know until we’ve compiled the data from our annual brood survey, and that’s really where the public can do the most good to help us.”

As turkey hens emerge from their nests with this year’s poults in tow, hunters, wildlife watchers and anyone who enjoys time outdoors can help the AGFC by participating in the Annual Wild Turkey and Quail Population Survey. Participants record sightings of hens with and without poults and how many poults they observe. In addition to helping biologists gauge the hatch, participating in the survey can guide future habitat work on public and private land.

Moscicki says any hunters who still need to turn in their data from the AGFC’s Annual Spring Gobbler Hunting Survey also are encouraged to get that information to him as soon as possible.

“Both of these surveys give us key information that will guide our efforts to continue providing the habitat necessary to support Arkansas’s turkey population,” Moscicki said.

Turkey and quail sightings can both be entered into the AGFC’s Annual Wild Turkey and Quail Population Survey, which is available via website at www.agfc.com/turkeysurveys.

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CUTLINES:

STRUTTING TURKEY
Arkansas hunters harvested and checked 9,335 turkeys during the 2024 hunting season.

HUNTER WITH TURKEY IN WOODS
Arkansas’s regular turkey hunting season was April 15-May 5 throughout most of the state. Photo courtesy of Joe Huggins.

HUNTER WITH TURKEY ON BARE GROUND
Although hunters could harvest two turkeys in most of the state, only one turkey could be taken during the first seven days of the regular season. Photo courtesy of Tanner Zuber.

Davis typically has hunting access to two separate farms, but he’s always gravitated to one of the two as his “go-to.”

“I call it my honey hole,” Davis said. “The other farm has always been much harder to hunt because it’s so open and it just doesn’t set up well to get ready when a bird comes your way. In fact, I don’t think I’ve hunted that area for the last 5 years.”

On April 25, Davis’s honey hole was silent. In fact, Davis hadn’t heard much gobbling throughout the first two weeks of the season on any of the property he’d visited.

“They were just acting really funny for me this year,” Davis said. “It was later in the morning when I figured I’d at least take a look at that other farm.”

He pulled up to the farm gate and walked down the road to the farm property. As he neared a clearing, he saw the fan of a bird on full display.

“There were actually five gobblers in the field putting on a show, but one bird, the one I saw first was easily the dominant one,” Davis said.

During breeding season, one bird always stands out as the head of the group, but the turkey in question was putting on a true show. Any time another bird tried to gobble or raise up, the lead bird would strut over with his chest puffed out and physically press the other birds until they squatted down.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Davis said. “He would literally push them to the ground. Then when he stood back up I was able to see just how much bigger he was than the rest. I honestly just sat there dumbstruck at the show they were putting on.”

The birds drifted over the top of a rise, which gave Davis the chance to move. He hustled up to a spot just at the breaking point of the rise and set up for a chance at the birds.

“I called once at him,” Davis said. “He gobbled, turned and stared my way, then sprinted right at me. I’ve never seen a bird move that fast and I thought for sure I was going to be busted.”

What Davis didn’t see was that a hen had worked her way along the treeline and was only 20 yards from him. She had luckily not seen him when he set up, and she was the object of the big bird’s affection. The gobbler stopped just short of her and began his serenade.

“I sat there and watched him for what seemed like 15 minutes,” Davis said. “He was keyed up. He dusted a few times, and anytime a crow would call nearby, he would gobble and go nuts.”

Finally the gobbler gave Davis a shot, and he was able to make a clean hit to cap off the experience, or so he thought.

“He rared up and fell backward and I could see the beard split,” Davis said. “I’ve shot two other birds that had two beards and those looked the same way. I thought to myself, ‘You lucky dog, you got another double-bearded bird.’”

When he got to the gobbler, it didn’t look like any double-beard he’d taken before. This Tom wasn’t just sporting two tufts of whiskers from his chest — he had five.

“It was amazing,” Davis said. “Not only did he have five beards, but they were all pretty thick compared to most birds I’ve seen with multiple beards. He ended up having 44.9 inches of beards when I did the calculations.”

Not only was Davis’s bird a hairy fellow, he was hefty.

“I weighed him on a few different scales,” Davis said. “And they all came out to 23½ pounds. He was a big bird. His spurs measured an inch long each.”

According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, roughly 2 percent of turkeys harvested have multiple beards, and the record is 13 beards. Although the bird’s beard is a trophy designation for many hunters, the tuft of hairlike whiskers (called papillae) give no advantage to the bird sporting it. The beard never stops growing and never molts, although the fibers can be worn down over the bird’s lifetime.

Davis says he only harvested the one bird this year, but if it was going to be a one-bird year, this was definitely the bird to make it memorable.

“My buddy hunts a place about 2 miles away as the crow flies and he’s harvested a 4-beard bird before,” Davis said. “It’s just a really neat experience and one I’ll remember my entire hunting career.”

Visit www.agfc.com/turkey for more information on wild turkeys and turkey hunting in Arkansas.

“We’re obviously excited to see so many successful young hunters out there, and we’re thankful that the weather turned out nearly perfect for an opening morning hunt,” Fowler said. “The turkeys were gobbling and many parents and mentors took the opportunity to get their young hunters out for what we hope will be the first of many birds in their hunting career.”

The youth hunt typically accounts for 10 percent of the overall season harvest, so Fowler is hopeful that hunters have a good regular season ahead.

“The forecast for Monday’s regular season opener looks like there is a good chance of rain and overcast skies, but not a sudden decrease in temperature,” Fowler said. “We hope to continue hearing some good gobbling as many hens begin to head to the nest and the male turkeys get anxious to continue breeding.”

Arkansas’s regular turkey season opens April 15. The season will end April 23 in Turkey Zone 1, which is composed of the extreme northwest and southwest portion of the state as well as the Crowley’s Ridge area and northern portion of the Arkansas Delta. Hunters in Turkey Zone 2, which makes up the majority of the state, will have until May 5 to chase gobblers. Only one legal turkey may be taken in Zone 1, but the seasonal limit is two legal turkeys in Zone 2. Only one legal turkey may be taken during the first seven days of the regular season. All turkeys taken by youths during the youth hunt count toward their seasonal limit.

Visit www.agfc.com/turkey for more information on turkey hunting in Arkansas.

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CUTLINES:

YOUNG BOY WITH TURKEY
Hudgin Young is one of many youth hunters who celebrated their first turkey hunt with a successful shot and impressive gobbler. Photo courtesy of Brad Young.

GIRL WITH TURKEY ON GROUND
Quinn Sommers tagged this mature gobbler, her first turkey ever, early Saturday morning. Photo courtesy Randy Brents.

FATHER AND SON WITH TURKEY
Although he spends most of his spring mornings before turkey season in the woods looking for poachers, AGFC chief of enforcement Col. Brad Young was able to introduce his son, Hudgin, to the turkey hunting family in true form. Photo courtesy of Brad Young.

Practice Patience
Take some time before the hunt to make sure your youth hunter is well versed in how a turkey hunt can go down. Some birds may come to your calls as if on a string, but most seasoned gobblers are going to take their time. Ground blinds can help with restless feet, but most turkey hunters tend to move to the birds. This means hunters have to know when to be dead still to avoid the sharp eyes of adult gobblers. Practice sitting motionless on the floor, propped up against the living room couch as a backrest just like you’d be against the trunk of a tree when you’re waiting for a bird to pop his head over a ridge and come to your decoy. Check to make sure your youth’s shotgun is completely unloaded and have them position it on their knee so they know how to shift it around silently when their bird has his head behind a tree or the decoy.

Keep It Comfy
Even if you don’t see any turkeys, you can still have a great experience as long as your young hunter is comfortable and has plenty of snacks. Little Debbie has saved so many boring hunts she should be granted an honorary lifetime hunting license. Unfortunately, those little plastic wrappers have a way of making that death metal garage band down the street sound quiet. Unwrap a few and put them in zip-sealed sandwich bags to keep the noise down when your little hunter begins to search for those Swiss rolls and fudge rounds. (Someone report back if Easter Basket Cakes are as good as Christmas Trees, please.)

Be sure to keep your Thermocell handy and spray down with insect repellent containing DEET. Turkeys don’t care what you smell like, and swatting mosquitoes during a hunt will definitely give away your location to the game. Ticks are coming back out with the warmer weather, too, so pre-treating your hunting clothes with permethrin insect repellent can prevent some uncomfortable post-hunt removal sessions and protect your youth from tick-borne illness like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Alpha-Gal (a lifelong reaction that makes people allergic to red meat).

Kid Friendly
The number one recommendation for the upcoming youth hunt is to keep it fun. Remember that little legs can’t cover the same amount of ground as an adult, so be patient and encouraging while your young hunter is making their way up a hillside to head off a bird in the distance. Lighten their load as much as possible so they remember how fun it was “climbing that mountain” instead of dwelling on how heavy their gear was.

Success isn’t always measured by a filled tag. Mark milestones and make them a big deal. Did they get to hear their first gobble? Did they see their first bird up close in the wild? Did they notice something new and exciting along the way? Years from now, moments spent on the tailgate before and after the hunt will stand out just as much as the moment they connect with their first bird. It’s all part of what makes us hunters.

Only hunters 6-15 years old may hunt turkeys during the youth hunt. Youths who have completed hunter education may hunt on their own at their parents’ discretion. Youths who have not completed hunter education must be under the direct supervision (within arm’s reach) of an adult who is 21 or older. Youth hunters may harvest one male turkey during the youth hunt. They may shoot one immature gobbler (jake) as part of their yearly limit. Birds harvested during the youth hunt count toward the youth’s yearly limit.

Visit www.agfc.com/turkey for more information on Arkansas’s turkey season and AGFC turkey conservation efforts.

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CUTLINES

TURKEY
Arkansas’s youth turkey hunt is April 6-7. AGFC photo.

MAN WITH YOUNG GIRL
Hunters 6-15 may hunt turkeys during the youth hunt, and may harvest one male turkey.

MAN WITH YOUNG BOY
The youth hunt is a great opportunity to teach young hunters about the excitement of spring hunting.

The competition is open to all United States residents 18 years of age or older. Artists can find the full prospectus, entry guidelines, and a link to submit their work by Feb. 4, 2024, at https://historiccanehillar.org/quail-turkey/.

A panel will judge the quality of each piece in addition to its accuracy in depicting either the northern bobwhite or eastern wild turkey in their traditional Arkansas habitats.

A public exhibition will be held March 16, 2024, at the Historic Cane Hill Gallery to announce the winners. The exhibition will host work from competition winners and all accepted artwork from each category. In addition to their artwork being featured on each stamp, winners also will earn a cash prize of $2,500 each. Second-place winners each will receive $500, and third-place winners will earn $250.

The exhibition will be on display in the Gallery for public viewing March 16-April 22. Weekly operating hours are Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Visit www.agfc.com to learn more about the habitat work being funded by these voluntary stamps and how to purchase one. 

For more information on this event and to keep up with this partnership in the future, visit www.historiccanehillar.org.